onsdag 29 augusti 2007

The latest on Sweden's Mohammed affair

Svenska Dagbladet/TT reported yesterday that a new demo will take place on Friday. This time attended by Muslims from all of the country:
Muslims in Örebro and from all of Sweden will keep on with their demonstrations against Nerikes Allehanda. Also on this Friday, there will to all appearances be a crowd outside the newspaper's office
[...]
"There'll be a big demonstration on Friday, and the Islamic center will organize it" says Jamal Lamhamdi, chairman of Örebro's Islamic Center of Culture

The organization is now applying for permission [to protest] and the want to carry out their protest after Friday's prayer, a week after the first demonstration. However, the first was not arranged by the Center of Culture, but, according to Lamhamdi, by other Muslim organizations

"Many Muslims are provoked and don't feel good, but as an organization we're trying as good as we can to calm the situation down and we call for all Muslims not to excite" says Jamal Lamhamdi, who considers the drawings as a defamation of Muslims that crosses the border of free speech


Meanwhile in Uppsala (transcript is from Sveriges Radio; yesterday's Upplandsnytt. WMA-file, 4:22 - 6:40):
Yesterday in Uppsala, Muslim associations and congregations formed a comittee for planning protest actions against publications of Mohammed-drawings, similar to those drawed by Lars Vilks. Among others, Uppsala Nya Tidning has published Mohammed as a roundabout dog, which has angered many. For instance Yiha Abu Sakaria [don't know if my spelling is correct] of the Arab Cultural Association in Uppsala.
[Yiha, in faulty Swedish:] "I think that Nerikes Allehanda, Uppsala Nya Tidning and most of the Swedish newspapers have hurted Muslims"
The caricature drawings by Lars Vilks which have been published in many papers, among them Uppsala Nya Tidning, have raised emotions among many Muslims. Yesterday, the Iranian government sent a formal protest against Nerikes Allehanda's publication, and a comittee was formed in Uppsala in order to protest against further publications. For instance, they want to meet UNT's editor-in-chief.
[Yiha again:] "We're will try to convince him that one cannot publish such drawings. It will hurt Muslims here in Sweden. [And] Sweden has big investments in Arab countries. What if Muslims would react furiously and boycott Swedish products; Scandia, Ericsson, Volvo... Why repeat what happened in Denmark?"
[UNT's editor-in-chief Lars Nilsson:] "I've no objection on discussing this, but the question is; is there that much worth discussing? When listening to this representative of this group speaking about the threats [Muslim countries] are going to expose on the newspapers... [interrupted]"
Do you mean boycotts?
"Well, it has become clear what it's all about.."
He is saying that you abuse the freedom speech & press and insult people & their religion.
"Hurting Muslims.. Well, I think this reaction from an amount of Muslims is hurting Muslims more than the tiny little drawing that has been published in the papers."

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